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Few will see election law changes

There are a number of changes being implemented starting with this primary election. But because turnout will be low this year, most people won't see the changes until the 2024 presidential election. The change getting the most attention is a requirement that those voting early in-person or ...

Special August election unlikely

There is a movement among a number of Republicans in the General Assembly to put a state constitutional amendment on a special Aug. 8 ballot to require future amendments to get at least 60 percent of the vote, rather than a simply majority, to win approval. While the bill is moving quickly ...

Rail CEO consistently noncommittal

During two U.S. Senate committee hearings, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has remained consistent: he’s sorry for the Feb. 3 derailment that caused the release of toxic chemicals in East Palestine, his company will “make it right” and he supports some rail reforms to make sure a similar incident doesn’t occur again. Also consistent is his reluctance to commit to specifics. U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., aggressively questioned Shaw on Thursday as part of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He became so frustrated with Shaw’s answers that at one ...

Foes seek to derail Vance bill

During his testimony in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works about the East Palestine rail disaster, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance touted his bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023 and vowed to fight for it even though it faces opposition from fellow Republicans. It ...

Brown, Vance find common ground

When Republican Rob Portman represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate, there weren’t many national issues where he and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, found common ground. There were some, such as supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia and the infrastructure bill. But the two worked ...

Politics comes to East Palestine

The well-being of East Palestine residents after a horrific train derailment and attempts to get the Columbiana County village back to some sense of normalcy should be top priority. But the Feb. 3 derailment and aftermath that included releasing toxic chemicals — and the response to the ...